As the clock ticks away towards the ninth day of the Italian Serie A season, the league has made a crucial decision regarding the upcoming match between Bologna and AC Milan. Reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport have revealed that the Sinigaglia stadium in Como will be the alternative venue for the match, pending confirmation from the local authorities.
According to sources, the league has already obtained the necessary authorizations from the mayor, prefect, and police commissioner of Como, paving the way for the match to be played on Saturday, October 26th at 6pm.
However, the decision is not without controversy. AC Milan has yet to receive official confirmation, and they may be waiting for a pronouncement from the Bologna city council before committing to a possible plan B. The situation is made more complex by the fact that the two teams have a crowded schedule in the coming months, with several games lined up until January.
The league’s solution, if the match is postponed, would create problems with the scheduling of other games, including the matches between Milan-Genoa and Hellas Verona-Milan, which would need to be rescheduled. This would also impact the broadcasts of DAZN and Sky, as they had previously planned their programming.
Another aspect to consider is that if Bologna-Milan were to be played in Como, the possibility of playing the match behind closed doors would be kept in reserve, allowing Bologna to avoid financial losses. However, Bologna has expressed its reservations about this solution, as the stadium is still recovering from the recent flood damage and may not be able to accommodate the expected 30-35,000 fans.
Today’s phone call between Bologna’s mayor, Matteo Lepore, and the prefect, Attilio Visconti, will provide clarity on the situation. If the material conditions are not in place to ensure fan safety, the match may need to be postponed once again, leaving fans and teams alike frustrated by the uncertainty surrounding the fixture.
